SEMO Voice Students Ranked Among Nation’s Best

Recent graduate Asa Faust, who earned a Bachelor of Music Education in vocal performance, and sophomore Alex Woodward, music major, advanced through multiple rounds of state, regional and national auditions to secure spots at the live national semifinals. The semifinal competition will take place July 3-5 during the NATS National Conference in San Antonio, Texas. National semifinalists rank among the top 15 singers in the nation in their respective competition categories.

"We are incredibly proud of Alex and Asa for this achievement," said Dr. Nicholas Kenney, chair of SEMO's Department of Music. "Advancing to the national semifinals of the NATS competition is a tremendous accomplishment and reflects the hard work, talent and dedication they have shown throughout their time at SEMO."

Faust will compete in the Upper Collegiate Treble/Bass-Baritone division. Woodward will compete in the Lower Collegiate Treble/Bass-Baritone division.

For Faust, the recognition is the culmination of four years filled with performance opportunities across the Department of Music.

"I was astounded," Faust said. "It took me two or three reads to actually process that my name was on the list of finalists."

Faust credits Dr. Christopher Goeke and the Department of Music faculty for helping shape both his musicianship and his future career. Following graduation, he has accepted a position as choir director at Festus Middle School while continuing to pursue opportunities to perform professionally.

"At SEMO, I've had opportunities to perform as a lead singer in the opera, musical theatre productions, student recitals, and as a mainstage performer with the marching band," said Faust. "I'm more grateful than words can express for these chances to grow as a performer."

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Goeke said the students' achievement reflects months of preparation and personal commitment.

"I am very proud of the work that Asa and Alex have put into this process," Goeke said. "Besides their individual practice and rehearsals, they managed every step of the national audition process. They have pushed themselves and raised the bar for their own 'personal bests.' I look forward to their performances in San Antonio."

Woodward said advancing to the national stage came as a surprise.

"I was shocked when I received the email that I moved on to the semifinals," he said. "I was very skeptical of my preliminary audition video and didn't think I had any shot at making it to this stage. I cannot thank Dr. Goeke enough for the amazing work that we have been able to do during my first year at SEMO. Without him, I wouldn't have been able to do it."

To qualify for the national semifinals, singers must earn top honors at regional NATS auditions before advancing to a national preliminary round judged by voice professionals from across the country. Both Faust and Woodward earned second-place finishes at the Central Region NATS auditions.

"Such enormous successes like these are a testament to the mentorship of our voice faculty and the opportunities available to hardworking students at SEMO," said Kenney. "Experiences like this allow our students to compete and succeed at the highest levels while still undergraduates. It's incredibly rewarding to see our commitment to student achievement, experiential learning and career preparation come to fruition."

Are you interested in competing among the nation's best? Visit semo.edu/music today.

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